


She Knew

by Kenyancougar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-02-08 00:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1920060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kenyancougar/pseuds/Kenyancougar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AN: A series of short stories showing the thoughts of the women of Arrow. Mainly set after "Seeing Red".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oliver

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This Chapter was written directly after the Episode Seeing Red.
> 
> Thanks to my awesome Beta for your help. You are awesome! If you haven't done so yet check out "The Island" has done an awesome job with it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow. It belongs to the CW.

She knew!

Since Christmas she had known and not said a word.

So many times he had made excuses, thinking that she believed him, in order to keep his secret and she had known the whole time.

That one fact had surprised him more than many of the other secrets that she had kept from him. It shouldn't have though, seeing as she was a master at keeping secrets.

She had always said that she was protecting her family, that she did what she had to in order to keep them safe. This was just another way that she did that. She had kept his secret when she could have told the world, when she could have confronted him about it.

In the hour after her admission he felt closer to his Mother that he had since he had found out one of his one night stands was pregnant. His Mother had been there for him then, kept his secret, just as she was doing now. She even helped cover for him when Thea demanded to know where he had been when Roy attacked her.

On the way back to the mansion after the rally she was going to tell them about Malcolm, probably the fact that he was a psychotic assassin, when their car was hit.

He was disoriented as they were all dragged from the car and bound. When he came to the sight before him made his heart drop.

There was Slade, with a gun in his hand, standing between his Mother and Thea. He knew instantly what was going on. Slade was making him choose between two women he loved, for the second time in his life.

He begged! For his sister's life, for his Mother's life. Begging Slade to take his life instead - after all, this was all his fault.

He watched in horror as his Mother stood to face Slade, offering her life in exchange for his and Thea's. He watched, tears streaming down his face, as Slade turned, drew his sword and thrust it into the heart of the woman he was just beginning to reconnect with.

She fell, looking into his eyes. She died to protect him, to protect Thea.

He was the Arrow - she had known and still gave up her life for his.


	2. Moira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: Mic_RiddyBanon is my wonderful beta, Thank you!
> 
> Disclaimer: The CW owns Arrow.

Moira was ready to withdraw from the race. Her family needed her more than the City did at this point. She had been keeping secrets from Oliver and Thea for several years. She had been doing so to protect them, at least that is what she had been telling herself.

Moira knew when Oliver came back from the Island that he was different. The first night when she had tried to wake him up he had almost killed her, his reactions so instant. She knew that her son had gone through something horrible on that Island to cause him to react like and she was concerned about what the whole experience had done to her precious boy.

Moira also knew who Thea's true father was. She knew that Malcolm was Thea's father, and she also knew that he was still alive and that he was extremely dangerous. Malcolm had abducted Walter, had had Robert killed and had even hurt Oliver on a few occasions.

She also knew that Oliver was the Arrow. Moira knew that he would never admit it to her but there had been way too many "accidents" in the last couple of years for her not to realize. It had taken her a while to figure out the secret but when she did she realized how proud she was of Oliver. He had taken such a horrible experience like the Island and turned it into something good. Moira was so proud of the man that Oliver had become. He was standing up for the people close to him, for this city. He was doing everything that he could to protect the innocent people in the Glades and had put his life on the line multiple times.

As Moira turned to talk to Oliver in Verdant just before her rally she couldn't help but wince. Oliver was obviously in pain with the way that he was limping. She knew that something bad had to have happened for her son, who had such an incredible pain tolerance, to be limping and favoring his knee.

Moira almost laughed when he used the motorcycle accident excuse - again. She knew better than that and told him that she knew as he turned to walk away. She watched as he stopped dead in his tracks, hesitating for the first time. He had tried to make excuses again but she would finally have none of it and chose to let him know that she knew, she had known since Christmas, that he was the Arrow.

They became closer in those few minutes before the rally than they had been in many years. She had missed her son and now he was finally coming back to her. It was at Oliver's urging that Moira changed her mind about withdrawing from the Mayoral race. She wanted to make him proud of who she was now.

When Roy appeared at Verdant Moira watched Oliver disappear out the back. She was worried for Thea but she knew Oliver was going to be back, as the Arrow, and would watch out for his sister. She was thankful that Oliver knew what to do to protect her.

After the rally they were headed home and Moira knew that it was time to turn over a new leaf, to be honest with her children. She was just starting to tell them that Malcolm was alive, and back in town when their car was hit, knocking her out.

When Moira came to they were all out of the car and in a small clearing. She felt that her hands were tied behind her back and looking around she realized that the same was true with Thea. Looking forward she saw Oliver laying on the ground in front of them tied up as well. Suddenly she and Thea were pulled into kneeling positions.

As Moira watched Oliver started pleading with the man that had brought them here. Suddenly she realized that it was Slade Wilson and she slowly realized that one of them was not getting out of this alive. Slade was punishing Oliver for something that she didn't understand.

Moira knew what she had to do. Thea, her precious, beautiful daughter had to survive. She had so much life ahead of her and she knew that even though life would be difficult her amazing daughter would pull through this rough patch and come out stronger than before. Oliver, her beautiful boy, was a hero to this city, even if he didn't believe it himself. He had done so much good in this city and he still had so much ahead of him.

Moira heard Slade talking to Oliver and knew what had to be done, there was no choice to make. With tears on her face she stood and faced Slade. After exchanging a few words with him she saw him turn and then suddenly there was a sword thrust through her.

As Moira fell to the ground she heard Thea's screams, she heard Slade walk away, but she focused on Oliver, looked in his eyes. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was incredibly proud of the man that he had become.

Moira had known that he was the Arrow, she had protected his secret and now she was protecting him and allowing him to continue to serve this city – to be the Arrow.


	3. Felicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: CW owns Arrow.

Felicity knew from the moment that the playboy billionaire Oliver Queen walked into her Queen Consolidated IT office that her life was about to change. It wasn't every day that a lowly IT tech got to interact with the man whose name was on the building.

When Oliver came to her with a bullet ridden laptop, she didn't ask questions, but she knew he was lying. Then when he came back with a syringe that was an 'energy drink', she knew he was lying to her but, again, chose not to question him. Next she helped him with a 'scavenger hunt' he was doing with a friend. After that it was that he was looking for where he could buy a particular type of arrow for a 'friend'. Each time he came to her with something he had the  _worst_  cover stories that she had ever heard in her life. The whole time though, she knew he was lying, and knew that one day she would figure out the man that was Oliver Queen.

The night she found him bleeding and dying in the backseat of her car she knew that her life was about to change yet again. She took Oliver to his Dad's old foundry in the Glades and went to the basement like he told her to and when she met Diggle she knew she had just made a new best friend.

Her life completely changed when she agreed to help Oliver and Diggle and joined Team Arrow. She learned that most of the elite of Starling City were in the crosshairs of the Arrow and would be getting a visit from him for some reason or another. She knew that even though he may not realize it, Oliver really was making a difference in the city.

Felicity also knew that Oliver fought his own demons just as much as he fought the bad guys of the city. She knew that he hardly slept, when he did he had nightmares, and when he was stressed he would work out until he was completely spent.

Felicity knew that Oliver had his scars, his share of bad memories. She saw the scars every time he sparred with Diggle, or when she watched him move up and down the Salmon Ladder. She saw where his bad memories started when they went to retrieve him from the Island and she helped him to overcome his bad memories from the Undertaking when he lost Tommy.

She knew that he could be a better man, that he could find a better way. She helped him when she could to see where he could do better, be better. She supported him even when she didn't care for his choices because she knew that he was doing what he thought was best, even when she knew it was a stupid idea.

Eventually she knew she was starting to care for him. She spent hours with him, watching him work the Salmon Ladder shirtless, watching him spar with Diggle, helping with his missions over the comms and sometimes in the field, and in their lives at QC. She knew Oliver was unique, special, and that she was one of the only people who got to see the real Oliver Queen.  _ **  
**_

She knew that Slade was his worst nightmare the moment she heard Sara say his name. Slade was going to rip everything that he could from Oliver, he was going to take everything that he cared about. She knew she had her job cut out for her keeping Oliver out of the memories and focused on the matter at hand.

She knew when Oliver's limo went missing the night of Moira's rally that something bad had happened. When Oliver didn't show to his own Mother's funeral she knew that he was blaming himself for everything. As she and Diggle finally found him in the second lair she knew as soon as she saw him that he was going to try and turn himself in to Slade and that they had to do something about it.

When Slade took over QC and started burning the city Felicity knew that Oliver  _had_  to win. He would not be able to just watch as his city burned and she didn't know how, but they were going to beat Slade. As they stood in the clock tower she knew that he was feeling guilty about things that happened in the past and that she had to do something to help him to realize that he is not the killer that he once was. He was a new man, a hero, and the city needed him.

Felicity knew, the moment Oliver took the call from Slade telling him Laurel was captured, that he felt defeated, simply by the look on his face. He didn't know how he was going to beat Slade because the man was always one step ahead, all everyone wanted him to do was kill Slade, and he didn't know how he could do that.

She knew he needed to know. She believed in him, in what he could do and that he could beat the man without having to kill him. She knew Oliver could outsmart him if he tried. She knew the moment he had the plan and she knew she was  _not_  going to like it.

As they walked into the mansion she knew something big was coming. The look on Oliver's face told her that much, even if she didn't know what it was. As he told her what Slade had said, that Slade was wrong her heart skipped a beat. When he told her he loved her she finally knew that he shared her feelings. She had started to tell him that she returned those feelings when he stopped her words by pressing the syringe into her hands. At that point she knew she had been wrong. She loved Oliver and for a split second had thought that he returned the feelings, but now she knew that she was just being a silly school girl.

Slade did come for her and used her to lure Oliver in. She knew he would be there, he had told her that he would always come for her, and that he trusted her. She had the secret weapon and she knew that it was up to her to end this. She knew Oliver and the rest of the Team were counting on her and she couldn't let them down, not now. As Slade went down she knew they had finally won, they had finally beaten him and Oliver could finally rest.

As they were preparing to leave the Island Felicity realized that the purgatory that Oliver had lived in for five years wasn't as bad, was actually a pretty place, when you were there with people you trusted, and that just as Oliver could see the beauty in the Island soon he would be able to start to see the good elsewhere as well, hopefully in himself.

When she turned to talk to him on the beach she knew that she had to hide her true feelings for him or she would never be able to move on. However, when she looked into his eyes she could finally see the real emotions that he had been hiding. He didn't want her to know, didn't want to show it, because as Slade had pointed out, being close to Oliver meant you could be in danger. But she knew, she finally knew how Oliver truly felt and for the first time in two years she had hope for a future with her hero.

Felicity finally knew that Oliver really  _did_  love her.


	4. Thea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still owned by the CW.

**Chapter 4 - Thea**

Thea Queen had been trusting. For as long as she could remember she had trusted her family, her mom, her brother. But for what? For them to lie to her?

When Oliver came back from the island, after five years, she had thought that they would go back to the way things were before he ever left on the Gambit with her dad. But she could tell, right from the first family dinner, that it wasn't to be. He seemed distant and when she asked what the island was like his face changed. He went from being happy to dark and cold, almost like he was remembering being tortured or something. She knew then that he was hiding things from her. She simply hoped that with time he would open up, talk to her, just like he used to.

Thea quickly found out that that wasn't to be either though. Oliver started spending his nights away, being late for everything, missing events, he was lying to them and she could tell. He was obviously doing his best to be the carefree Ollie that left on the Gambit, but she suspected that that wasn't really who he was now. He had changed - and he wasn't being honest with her. That was making it incredibly difficult to trust him now.

Then, suddenly, her mom was keeping things from her too. It was subtle at first, so subtle that Thea almost didn't notice. But then she realized that her mom was spending an awful lot of time with Malcolm Merlyn. She suspected that her mom was cheating on Walter with the man and couldn't figure out why. Walter was the best thing that had happened to her mom after the Gambit went missing. He had brought her out of her grief, given her something to live for. So why then was her mom cheating on him? She confronted her mom, who denied it outright. Thea wasn't convinced.

In the midst of everything there was one person that surprised her. Roy, the kid who stole her purse. She had only tracked him down to get her purse back, and he had tricked her into not pressing charges, but for some reason she still trusted him. She knew it wasn't the smartest decision that she had ever made, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't long before she found that she cared for him.

Roy was the only constant in her life. Sure, he didn't like to admit when he had been fighting in the Glades again, but he  _was_  always there for her. She clearly remembered how her heart had broken when The Savior abducted him. She was sure that she was going to watch as her boyfriend was murdered on live television. She wasn't sure she could survive that. Then the Vigilante saved him. After that he was obsessed with finding the man who had saved him - and she had helped him.

Their search was put on hold when the news of the Undertaking came out. Thea could still remember what she had felt the day that her mom had held the press conference, telling Starling City that she had been complicit in the Undertaking. She had been hurt, hurt that her mom lied to her, hurt that her mom would even  _think_ of being involved in something like that, and devastated as she realized that Roy lived in the Glades. She went to him as quickly as she could to make sure he was out of the Glades when whatever was going to happen happened. She knew she would  _never_  have forgiven herself if something happened to him because of her mom.

That night she lost her mother as she went to jail, her friend Tommy who died in CNRI, and her brother who disappeared shortly after. At that point she only had Verdant and Roy left -and one of them was getting into fights in the Glades again. It was five months before she saw or heard anything from her brother again. It had also been five months since she had seen her mother. She was still hurt that her mom had been involved in the Undertaking and was hurt that Oliver would just disappear for a vacation right after everything went down.

Thea was strong, as strong as she could be, during her mom's trial, and even after when her mom and Oliver apparently weren't getting along. She didn't know what had happened, just that they were hardly talking to each other. It was like they weren't even family. She knew that there had to be a reason for it and simply hoped it would be resolved, and soon. She was tired of all the lies and secrets that those closest to her were keeping and yet she still trusted them.

It wasn't much later that Thea realized that she had made a huge mistake. It wasn't long before she broke up with Roy after she found him cheating on her, her mom was running for Mayor, and Slade Wilson appeared in their lives. She had been trusting even then. Her mom said that Mr. Wilson was a good man, a friend, and she believed her. However, her view was soon changed when he abducted her. The rest of her trust in her family was shattered that night. Mr. Wilson told her that both Oliver and her mom were keeping secrets from her. He told her that Robert Queen wasn't really her father, that Malcolm Merlyn was. She realized then that she could never trust either of the people in her family again. That night she found that she hated her family.  _ **  
**_

The night of her mom's campaign party at Verdant Thea was reminded yet again of how many secrets her family was keeping from her. Especially when she saw the look shared between Oliver and her mom when she asked where Ollie had been when Roy was going crazy in the club. They claimed that they had been together, but she didn't believe them, again. On the way home her mom was finally going to tell them a secret, something about Merlyn, when their car was hit. That night she learned another secret about Oliver, he hadn't been alone on the island after all. Slade Wilson had been there, and now the man was holding them all hostage, making Oliver choose who would die, because of something that had happened between them. She knew that night that she would never be able to make amends with her mom. Slade killed her.

Her world finally unraveled completely the night Starling City was under siege. She had been at the train station, ready to leave town and go far, far away. She had run to the train platform when the man started attacking people at the station. It was there that she came face to face with the man who was her father, a mass murderer, and supposedly dead. He claimed he was protecting her, she shot him instead. Then she ran to Roy's house, meeting him there. She hoped that this time there would be no more secrets between them, and she was hopeful when he told her to pack and he would be back soon. She should have known then.

It was as Thea was packing their bags that she finally knew, she knew that she had been wrong to trust anyone. She had just emptied one of Roy's dresser drawers when she kicked something under the bed. She pulled out something wrapped in a blanket only to find that it was a red bow and some arrows. After looking at it for a moment she suddenly knew. Roy had been helping the Arrow all along, and had been hiding it from her, lying to her. That was when she knew what she had to do.

Thea wrote Roy a note and left it on top of his bow and arrows before turning to leave, for good. She knew that she couldn't stay here anymore, not in the town where her mother had died, her brother was distant, barely talked to her, and lied to her, and her boyfriend was running around with the Arrow and lying to her about it. She realized that she had been too trusting, which made her weak. All the lies and betrayal from those she thought loved her was too much for her. She did the only thing that made sense.

Thea knew that her life was about to change as she met Malcolm Merlyn at his limo. She didn't know where she was going or how long she would be gone. But she did know one thing.

Thea Queen would be weak no more.

 


	5. The Climb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season 3 Spoilers

**Chapter 5 - The Climb**

Felicity knew that as soon as they talked they would be over. She had thought that they might actually have a chance. Five months after they had finally put Slade away Oliver had asked her out on a date. She thought her heart had stopped after he asked her, it was that unexpected. However, she had never seen him smile so much. He had not been this happy in all the time that she had known him and for once, she thought that maybe they had a chance at being together - at happiness.

The night of her date with Oliver, Felicity had spent hours getting ready. She had wanted to look perfect, for him. She hadn't thought thatshe would be this nervous, however, she had changed her dress option three times as she couldn't decide which one was the right one. Finally she had found the perfect outfit, had managed to get her makeup to go on just right, and her hair had finally hung perfectly. It was time to leave for the restaurant.

Felicity arrived before Oliver, which hadn't surprised her as he was out on Arrow business. She went to their table and sat sipping on her water. She had been more nervous then than she had been waiting for her acceptance letter for MIT. She had looked up towards the door for almost the hundredth time when she finally saw him walking towards her. Her breath had caught in her throat. She had seen him in a suit and tie millions of times, however, he never looked more handsome, or sexier, than he did right at that moment. When she stood to greet him and he hugged her she had realized that they were actually on a date and she felt that nothing in theworld could change that. She soon found out that she had been wrong.

Felicity had known the moment that the date came to a very abrupt end . Oliver had turned his head to the window for only a brief moment before pulling her to the ground. In that moment, the restaurant was hit by a rocket and she had blacked out. She should have known that happiness wouldn't last.

When Felicity woke up in the Arrow Cave the only thing that she knew was that she needed Oliver. She needed to know that he was alive, and unhurt. Thankfully he had been right by her side, and if she was honest with herself she knew that he would be. But, she also knew that this meant that the happy ending she had been hoping for, wouldn't be happening. She knew that Oliver would close himself off from her, step away to keep her safe, and she didn't know if she could handle that this time. That's why she had told him that it would be over as soon as they talked. She knew he would end it.

She was right!

When she and Oliver stopped in the hallway outside of Lyla's room she knew what was coming. Oliver would give her the  _I just want to protect you_  speech and tell her that they couldn't be together while he was the Arrow. For once in her life she would have thrown a party if she had been wrong. But she wasn't. She had begged him to stop dangling maybes in front of her. She wanted so desperately to be with him that she knew she wouldn't survive being with him every night, in the lair, seeing him shirtless, and yet knowing that he was still out of her reach. That's why she had told him to tell her that he didn't love her. She wanted him to say it straight out. He begged her not to make him say it.

Then Oliver placed his hands gently on each side of her face and kissed her. It was everything that she had dreamed of. He was soft, gentle, caring. She knew right then that she had to walk away, or she would fall for his maybes again.

They had talked...now it was over.

That night she had downed a whole carton of mint chip. Even then she couldn't fully process what she had done, that  _she_  had walked away.

They went about their lives normally for a while. Well, as normal as it  _could_  be knowing that someone had murdered Sara Lance, their friend and partner. Felicity knew that finding the killer would be a long, challenging road. She knew that they might not like the answer to the question  _Who killed Sara Lance?_  She was devastated that she had been right about that as well.

When Oliver told the Team about his visit with Malcolm she knew they had to find another way. There had to be  _some_  way that they could take care of this, protect Thea, without sending Oliver to his death. She knew that he wouldn't do it any other way though. He would always sacrifice himself for his friends, but most importantly his family. Especially after he had had to watch both of his parents die right in front of him.

Felicity walked into the lair on that fateful night and she knew as soon as she saw him hugging Roy that her worst nightmare was coming true. Oliver was going to Nanda Parbat to face Ras Al Ghul in a duel to the death. She knew she was about to lose him unless he could do the unthinkable. It was then that she knew what she had to do. She had to ask him to kill again, for her. He said he would do  _anything_  for her and this was the one thing she needed him to do.

Why? Because she knew that if Oliver didn't kill the Demon's head that Ras would kill him, and that was unthinkable. She needed Oliver, alive, breathing, and very much  _here_  in Starling City, with  _her_. She knew that if he left, and didn't come back, that she would have a hole in her heart the size of the Grand Canyon. She stood there and begged him to come back to her.

When Oliver said he knew two things she knew that he was quoting her, when she told  _him_  that she believed in him. He held her and she grabbed his shirt as he kissed her forehead. She didn't want to let him go. She reluctantly let go of his shirt as he started to walk away and she realized that she didn't know what the second thing he was so sure about was. So she asked, knowing that he was probably being more honest with her right this moment than he ever had been.

That's when Oliver told Felicity that he loved her, just before stepping away to fight a duel to the death. Felicity knew that she loved Oliver as well, what she didn't know was why she didn't say it back. Why she simply stared after him, feeling like her heart had just walked out the door with one Oliver Jonas Queen.

Felicity sat in her chair in the lair, alone, and waited to hear from Oliver. She was so scared that Ras was going to use Oliver's humanity against him, that Oliver wouldn't be able to kill him. Suddenly she felt an incredible pain on her left side, like she had been sliced open with a knife. Moments later it was like someone had thrust a sword through her ribcage. She almost doubled over in pain.

It was then that Felicity knew. She knew that something had happened to Oliver, something terrible. She knew that she had probably just lost her one and only chance to tell Oliver that she loved him and now she was afraid that she had just lost him for forever.

Felicity knew, in that moment, that Oliver was dead.


End file.
